Elias and I worked all day on these three custom action figures for MERCURY ART STUDIOS CUSTOMIZING CHALLENGE. The pictures are larger than I want them to be, but I don't know how to make them smaller.

BACKSTORY

These three mercenaries grew up together on Nal Hutta and are the closest of friends. While still young, they have all gained a well known reputation for always getting the job done and they are quite the efficient team. The team is paid quite well by their clients and their hopes are to make enough money to retire young and purchase a nightclub back on their home world.

"Customs for the Kid" ENTRIESby Darth Daddy & Elias

BOOMA THE HUTTby Darth Daddy

I sculpted the eyes, mouth, holster and armor of Booma using Apoxie Sculpt. The knife and comlink were glued into place. Booma was designed to maintain the articulation of the original Jabba toy.

Booma's sniper rifle holster is made from a Wookiee pelt that was sculpted by hand using Apoxie Sculpt. The rifle is removable.

A Dremmel was used to create the deep scar in Booma's belly.

SCRAPPY GO GOby Darth Daddy

Just a simple repaint with a feather glued to the head.

MIONIEE: MIRIALAN MERCENARYby Elias

Elias used a Leesub Sirlin body and a Luminara Unduli head to create his custom action figure. I sanded the joints so his paint job wouldn't get ruined. I didn't feel comfortable letting a 7 year old use the Dremmel.

I haven't really been able to devote much time to customs or the forums this summer due to a heavy workload. Customs for the Kid was in threat of becoming a wrap/ dead in the water and I wasn't quite sure if it was going to continue due to some looming custody issues as a result of Elias' mom moving away. The good news is that after some legal maneuvering, I was able to maintain my 50/50 custody of Elias and also implement some safeguards so it would never be under threat again. That said, customizing in the home has suffered quite a bit. Unfortunately, the customs I did throw together to keep the blog going were just a few quick customs that are good for beginner customizers to tackle and weren't very fancy. They only take a few minutes to make so feel free to add these to your collection if you wish.

Fully Articulated Duros JediI created this second Duros Jedi in under a 1/2 hour using the body of a CW Mace Windu, the pouch of a POTF Logray, and head and hands of a Ellorrs Madak. I gave the hands the ability to spin and cut and drilled the head of the Ellorrs Madak so it could fit on the painted neck of the Maced Windu body.

Chalmun was rarely seen in the main cantina; instead spending the majority of the time in his back office. Many who saw the Wookiee there mistook him for a bouncer, owing both to his formidable appearance and his tendency to physically remove anyone who caused trouble. Of course, owing to his history, he also admired people who caused trouble with style, which also meant that making friends with him was a tightrope walk.

Chalmun remained the owner of the cantina when it was visited by Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Han Solo, and Chewbacca shortly before the Battle of Yavin.

Dad modified a Chewbacca with Apoxie Sculpt to create Chalmun. The upper legs were from an Indiana Jones action figure that Dad can't remember off hand.

Dad has been wanting to create a Ziro the Hutt action figure for me for a long time now. He had a CW Jabba the Hutt sitting in the corner of the kitchen for a few months now and this weekend he finally got started on the project. The custom is only a simple repaint and we suggest that anyone who wants to make a Ziro, to get a hold of the CW Jabba the Hutt while you still can. They Jabba toy is starting to go for a lot of money on ebay and you want to grab one before it goes out of your price range. Hasbro recently announced that they will not be making Ziro as an action figure so this is the only way you will be able to obtain the first villain of the Clone Wars television series.

Dad is in the process of sculpting Ziro's removable headdress and jewelry. When the process is completed we'll update this post.